Recipients of the 2017 Education Facility Design Awards
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) selected 12 projects for this year’s CAE Education Facility Design Awards. The program honors educational facilities that the jury believes should serve as an example of a superb place in which to learn, furthering the client's mission, goals and educational program while demonstrating excellence in architectural design.
Bridge for Laboratory Sciences, Vassar College, Integrated Science Commons; Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Award of Excellence
Ennead Architects
The new Vassar College Bridge for Laboratory Sciences (VBLS) redefines the sciences at Vassar. Spanning over a creek and connecting two sides of campus, the VBLS houses state-of-the-art undergraduate teaching and research laboratories, offices and shared public spaces and physically connects the sciences with the surrounding wetlands. Consolidating the sciences on Vassar’s campus, in addition to the new VBLS, the Integrated Science Commons includes the renovation of three buildings and ten acres of landscape to create a cohesive science precinct on Vassar’s campus.
Kohler Environmental Center, Choate Rosemary Hall; Wallingford, Conn.
Award of Excellence
Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP
This project achieves dual objectives by not only being a high-performance LEED-Platinum building, but also serves as a learning tool for students. The Kohler Environmental Center accommodates cohorts of up to 20 students for a total-immersion environmental living/learning experience. Feedback from the building's monitoring systems enables students to teach themselves important lessons about how to live sustainably and responsibly.